Volleyball: Ragin’ Cajuns Capture Five-Set Thriller From Warhawks

LAFAYETTE – Stacey Reilly furnished 21 kills, leading a quartet of Ragin’ Cajuns in double digit kills, as Louisiana defeated ULM in a five-set thriller (21-25, 25-22, 25-19, 25-27, 15-13) to move to 2-0 on its current four-match homestand and return above the .500 mark in Sun Belt Conference play.
 
After dropping the opening set, the Ragin’ Cajuns (7-13, 3-2 Sun Belt) landed 32 kills and hit above .360 over the second and third sets to claim a 2-1 match lead. Louisiana committed 13 attack errors in the fourth set, opening the door for ULM (8-15, 2-3 Sun Belt) to extend the match to five sets.
 
Louisiana erased a 6-3 deficit in the fifth frame with a 4-0 run that started with a Chloe Cordell kill and was capped by forcing the Warhawks to hit into three consecutive attack errors.
 
Neither team led by more than a point and seven ties existed before the match came to a close.
 
The Ragin’ Cajuns pulled out of their final deficit with a kill by Chanelle Gardner and block solo from Hanna Rovira that opened a 12-11 lead. Gardner, who finished with 14 kills, came up with another kill after a 12-all tie to keep the momentum on Louisiana’s side. After ULM drew a 13-all tie, back-to-back attack errors by the visitors brought the match to an end.
 
Cordell (14 kills) and Chynna Brooks (10 kills) provided a boost off the bench. Cordell’s tally was a season-high figure, while Brooks established a new career-high total.
 
Sydney Davis scooped a match-high 26 digs, finishing with 20-plus in a Sun Belt match for the third time in five outings. Davis increased her season total to 325 digs, eclipsing the 300-mark for the second straight season.
 
Jessica Bartczyszyn added a career-high 19 digs to the 51 assists she handed out. Reilly collected 11 digs to land her team-leading 12th double-double of the season.
 
The Ragin’ Cajuns held a 67-57 edge in kills and outdug the Warhawks 84-72. Louisiana threw up 11 total blocks of which six were solos led by three block solos from Gardner.
 
Louisiana and ULM played a five-set match for the fourth straight meeting. The Ragin’ Cajuns won a five-set affair for the second straight match (won in five at Little Rock on Sept. 30).
 
The Ragin’ Cajuns improved to 17-4 vs. ULM in Sun Belt Conference matches (2006-present). The two squads have a rematch scheduled for Nov. 8 at Fant-Ewing Coliseum in Monroe.
 
The Ragin’ Cajuns conclude their four-match homestand next weekend hosting Arkansas State on Friday (Oct. 14) and Little Rock on Sunday (Oct. 16).